Neighborhood Services News

Strength in the collective.

Posted: 09-27-2011

The injustices facing our communities both locally and abroad can be too much for one person to bear. But there is hope and strength in the collective. Listed below are a number of opportunities to learn more about issues facing our communities and ways to become more informed, get involved, make a difference and advocate for yourself and others.

Tonight! Hold Landlords Accountable! It is being proposed that owners of single-family rental properties be
required to register their properties and have them inspected and
certified. Only multi-family rentals must currently be inspected and
certified. Join the discussion this Tuesday at 7pm at MLK Leadership Academy and tell the City Commission that we will not stand for unsafe homes in Grand Rapids! Contact Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan at 616-241-3300 for more information.

September 29 Food not Bombs: Elect to end hunger and poverty. Keith McHenry, activist with Food Not Bombs is on the road for a speaking tour across the US to talk about why we need to end the criminalization of hunger and poverty in America. McHenry will be speaking this Thursday at Trinity United Methodist Church in Grand Rapids at an event co-sponsored by the GR chapter of Food Not Bombs and the Grand Rapids IWW.

October 3 Free legal advice for renters,
will be offered the 1st & 3rd Monday of every month. This is a
collaborative effort between Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Grand Rapids
Area Coalition to End Homelessness, Legal Aid of Western Michigan, and
the Legal Assistance Center. Grand Rapids area attorneys, assisted by
law students, will offer individual legal assistance to renters on their
option related to tenant/landlord issues. Bring all of your paperwork!

October 6 The I Believe I Become West Zone will celebrate together as they have identified one community goal seeking to eliminate the educational achievement gap in Grand Rapids' schools, and will launch the work towards achieving that goal through 4 identified strategies. Join the voices of the West zone as they celebrate the work that has been done and look forward to the work ahead!

October 19 What would Jesus cut? Jim Wallis, CEO of Sojourners, will be sharing his views on politics, social responsibility and facing the realities of budgeting in tough times. Tickets are $15